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Friday, December 21, 2012

The Heart of the DeBruin Family...a Review of 2012!

Twas the week before Christmas...

And all throughout the DeBruin house...well, I must tell you that there are certainly some 'creatures' stirring! Not just the last week but throughout the entire year. I can hear their pitter-patter as we speak...there's not usually many dull moments around here, that's for sure :)

So much to share...

If I had been more organized I would have gladly mailed out my usual Christmas card regime...but this year I decided to make an online Christmas blog entry & make it our 'letter' for the season. A bit easier...So enjoy!!

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS FROM 2012...

If you haven't seen any of our latest pics here's one from a fun Fall hike with all four of our chillin's.

Let me just assure you, yes they are in fact growing like weeds!

Let's start with the eldest..

Sam~ our growing & maturing 12 year old

This guy is our musical genius that enjoys piano and a bit of guitar. He can also play the bongos quite well & loves to drum his fingers to almost any beat. Biggest excitement this year was being able to join our church's youth group & go on their overnight camping trip! Ahhh...it seems like just yesterday I was cradling him in my arms :)

Joel~ our lively & adventurous 11 year old

Our lil budding entrepeneur is always coming up with exciting ways to spend his time. Whether building creations in his room, or helping to cook a meal he is always full of zest & life. I think the biggest excitement for Joel this year was moving out to the country where we can now allow all of the children to run wild on our 1 acre lot. More on that later..

Hannah~ our tender-hearted 7 year old

Our only daughter loves to play 'house' and take care of her babies. Any stuffie will do! She also enjoys art and coming up with imaginary stories during playtime. This year her biggest excitement was getting her own room after we moved. And now she can have either of her 2 girl cousins sleep over & there's plenty of room for all; so much fun :)

JJ~ our spunky 5 year old

JJ (short for Joseph Jedidiah) enjoys being the life of the party! In fact, those of you that know him would agree, he IS the party. One of his fav things to do is dance & play around with one of his other siblings. He also enjoys building things like LEGO, wood structures out of scraps, and much like his father he is always trying to 'fix' (or take apart!) his cars. His biggest change this year would have to be leaving the school he was in for our homeschooling adventure....more on that later!

Benson~ our lovable, & VERY social 2 year old 'pup'

Never a dull moment with this happy doggie around! He's always willing to greet a new person at the door with kisses (and often annoying intense 'hugs'). The kids enjoy his company throughout our days but I must say he is usually MY shadow...so much so I often trip over him while cooking dinner...smile.

Jeff~ my handsome & totally awesome hubby

I couldn't have asked for a better husband. Although we have the usual ups & downs of married life, I find myself in awe of someone who compliments me so well. This year my husband had an interesting year with his work place. The work has continued to be steady (we thank God for His provision!) but he lost one of his main mechanics. Although it was for a good reason, and we wish him all the best, it has made for a busier year with Jeff's schedule. Not to mention all the support he gave me by taking the kids while I studied for my final exam and FINALLY finished my studies...what a blessing this man has been!

Myself: I graduated this year from a program that took me just over THREE years to complete! Part-time hours of course as I had many other commitments between the kids and life.

*Side note: I became interested in natural nutrition following a series of doctor's appointments in early 2007. I realized that the current health-care system-while something we need to be thankful for-is not able to cope with all medical ailments. I truly have come to believe that it is vital to have an integrative approach to health: incorporating natural cures or preventative medicine where possible, and yet embracing the new technologies and pharmaceuticals where necessary. Just my point of view.

After finishing my diploma I realized that I was ready for the next step...

So another change was the decision to start my own business. 'Re-VITAL-ize U'

After completing my diploma I realized that I wanted to DO something with it. After some exploring I decided that the best fit for me was to do individual nutritional counselling and group seminars.
I mean I love to teach! I love to meet with people! I love to learn new things about health!
So I combined the above and voila: my new biz. You can check it out for yourself at:https://www.facebook.com/#!/RevitalizeUHealth
OR feel free to join my facebook forum with group discussions on health:https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/168680996505100/

The business is really only in its beginning stages, but I have appreciated ALL of the support people have given me as I venture out on the 'limb' so to speak..

This year had many ups and downs...

Challenges and triumphs like any other year...

Certainly though this year for us could be summed up in one word: CHANGE!

Did I mention we also changed addresses??

At the beginning of 2012 we realized that if we wanted to continue hosting lots of social functions we would need a different layout to be comfortable. We also realized that a change of pace would be nice for both Jeff & I since we are (most of the time) running in the rat race...so we starting looking for a country-ish house that was no more than 20 minutes from the city. We found our 'lil blessing in the month of May and soon put our house up for sale. We sold our house within 2 days & finalized the offer within a week! Talk about many awesome answers to prayer.

Here's a pic of Jeff & I out front of the new pad. It's about twice the size as our previous home, & subsequently has already allowed us to have many people stay over for short-term visits, or even just a meal.

This is a pic of our side lot that acts as our soccer field.

Another change was the decision to try homeschooling...

Homeschooling was always something that I was interested in doing, but without having researched the logistics of it, I never thought it was feasible for our family.
However that all changed when during this past spring, while all four children were in school full-time, I began to search out as much info, & as many contacts as I could in hopes of 'mastering' the topic of homeschooling.

So we began the adventure of homeschooling!

So far this year we've met some amazing homeschooling friends. We've also had the priviledge of getting to do many extra-curricular outings that time just didn't allow during our past school routine.

Even so we are still deciding to take it year by year. For now we're committed til the summer :)

Well, that's it so far! Many other things I could write about. Many other tales I could share with you.

However, I want each of our friends & family to know that we love you all. We think of you often. We keep you in our prayers. We are so THANKFUL for each & every one of you.

& during this busy Christmas season I am reminded that the important things in life really are simple.

Hope. Giving. Love. That is what this time of year should cause us to reflect on.

"And unto us a Child is born..." and our lives have been forever changed!

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Imperfectly perfect in His sight. "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me."